Mail-box.



No. 684,004. v Patented Oct. 8, 10m.

v w. 0. STEVENSON & F. H. H000.

MAIL BOX.

(Application filed Jan. 17, 1901.

(No Model'.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM G. STEVENSON AND FRED H. HOOD, OF MORENOI, MICHIGAN.

sPncImcATIoNrorming part of Letters Patent No. 684,004, dated October s, 1901. Application tiled January 17, 1901- Serial No. 43,645. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

I Be it known that We, WILLIAM G. STEVEN- SON and FRED H. HOOD, citizens of the United States, residing at Morenci, in the county of Lenawee and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful MaihBox, of which the following is a Specification.

The invention relates to improvements in mail-boxes.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of mail-boxes and to provide a simple, inexpensive, and eflicient one designed for private and Government use and adapted to receive all kinds of mailinatter at any time without unlocking it and capable of effectually preventing the same from being surreptitiously removed without breaking it or the look.

A further object of the invention is to enable letters to be conveniently held in position for removal by a letter-carrier for mailing when the mail-box is employed for private use.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of a letter-box constructed in accordance with this invention and shown open. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same, the letter-box being closed. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the clamp.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 designates the body of a letter or mail box, which may be constructed of any desired material, and the said body 1 is composed of a bottom, front, and rear walls 2 and 3 and end walls 4., which have segmental extensions 5 at their tops for supporting a curved lid or cover 6. The curved lid or cover 6 is hinged at its rear edge at 7 to the upper edge of the rear wall of the body of the box, and it is provided with curved end flanges 8, located beyond the ends of the body and adapted to fit on the exterior of the same when the lid is closed. The curved lid carries a tray 8, consisting of a bottom plate 9 and end plates or walls 10, suitably connected The tray is suitcompanying drawings the bottom of the tray is arranged in nearly the same horizontal plane as the upper edge of the front of the body and is adapted to receive the letters or other matter to be deposited in the box.

The upper support or plate 11 is provided with a spring-clamp 12, consisting of an approximately U-shaped loop, provided at its ends with coils and suitably secured to the support. This U-shaped loop or frame is adapted to clamp letters or other matter on the upper face of the support or plate to hold such matter thereon to enable it to be readily removed by a letter-carrier. The loop or frame, which is reduced at its front or outer portion, is adapted to prevent letters and other matter from dropping into the body of the box when the lid is closed, and its front portion is bent upward from the support or plate 11 to enable it to be readily grasped and also to enable letters and other matter to be readily introduced beneath it. The ends of the tray are provided with curved edges 13, and the curve of the edges 13 forms a portion of a circle, of which the pintle of the hinge of the lid or cover is the center, and the body of the mail-box is provided at the inner face of its front Wall with a guard 14, consisting of a curved upright portion and horizontal connecting portions 15 and 16, located at the top and bottom of the guard and suitably connected with the front wall; but the guard may also be connected with the end walls, if desired. The curved guard is arranged on the same curve as the edges of the ends of the tray, and it extends inward from the front Wall and is adapted to close the space between the same and the tray when the lid orcover is raised to prevent the hand of a person from being introduced into the body of the mail-box.

The curved guard extends the entire length of the body of the mail-box, and the bottom of the tray is prevented from swinging'up- Ward beyond the guard by means of a chain ICO 17, secured at its upper end to the lid and pro' vided at its lower end with a link 18, forming a hasp and adapted to be arranged on a staple 19, fastened to the body of the box, and to be secured'thereto by a padlock 20, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1. Any other suitable means may be employed for limiting the movement of the lid, and the chain may be duplicated to arrange such a flexible connection at both ends of the letter-box.

The mail-box may be provided at its back with suitable flanges for enabling it to be readily secured to a suitable support, or it may be mounted on the latter in any desired manner.

It will be seen that the mail-box is exceedingly simple and inexpensive in construction, that it is adapted both for Government and private use, and that it will eifectually prevent its contents from being surreptitiously removed without breaking it or the lock. It will also be apparent that letters and other matter placed on the bottom of the tray will be discharged into the lowerportion of the body of the box when the lid is closed, that the clamping device on the upper support or plate "is adapted to hold mail-mat Ier and prevent the same from falling into the body of the box, and that it will enable such matter to be readily removed by a letter-carrier. Vheu it is desired to remove the contents of the mail-box, the padlock is untastened and the lid is swung backward to carry the tray out of the body of the mailbox. It will also be seen that mail can be deposited at any time without unlocking the box, and when the latter is employed forprivate use the'letter-carrier does not require a key, the locking and unlocking of the box being under the control of the owner, who may furnishany kind of a padlock.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- I 1. A device of the class described comprising a body, a lid hinged to the body at the back of the same and adapted to swing entirely open to afford access to the interior of the body, means for limiting the movement of the lid to prevent the same from being enthe lid and provided with end walls having curved edges, and a guard mounted on the body at the innerface of the front wall of the same and presenting an inner concave face to the said curved edges and provided with upper and lower portions secured to the said body, substantially as described.

3. A device of the class described comprising a body, a hinged lid, a tray secured to and carried by the lid, and providedwith upper and lower supports, and a clamp mounted on the upper support and arranged to hold mail-matter, substantially as described.

4. A device of-the class described comprising a body, a hinged lid, a tray carried by the lid and consisting of end walls and upper and lower supports connecting the end Walls, and a guard mounted 'on the body at thefront thereof, substantially as described.

5. A device of the class described comprising a body provided atits end walls withsegmental extensions, a curved lid having end flanges, a tray comprising end walls having curved edges, and upper and lower plates or supports connecting the end walls, and a guard arranged within thebody and consist ing of a curved body portion and upper and lower portions connected with the front of the body, substantially as described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto aftixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM G. STEVENSON. FRED H. HOOD. \Vitnesses:

O. A. WILSON, O. E. WAKEFIELD. 

